The present invention relates to the art of ornamental accessories for fingernails, and, in particular, to a new structure for, and, consequently, new ornamentation for nail coverings and especially, for fingernail tips.
It has been known in the art of adorning the hands to provide ornamental fingernail accessories made from thin, molded plastic members manufactured generally in the shape of a fingernail. Fingernail tips, which are formed to provide an extension of the wearer's fingernails, are especially attractive accessories.
For example, French tip fingernail accessories extend the end of the natural nail and provide a color variation between the natural nail and the tip. French tips create an attractive image by exaggerating the change of color or hue as the nail extends beyond the tip of the finger.
However, a serious flaw in existing French tip technology and art results from the requirement for securing artificial French tips to existing natural nails. Since a substantial overlap of the artificial tip over the nail end is necessary, the different colored tip is made to extend rearwardly to cover the nail base. This rearward extension reduces the nail bed, i.e., the portion of the nail which shows the flesh tone of the wearer.
As shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b herein, the French tip 50 is typically opaque and white in color to ensure a sharp and distinct border between the nail bed 51 and the French tip. This border can be referred to as the "smile line" 52. The tip is secured over the end of a natural nail by an adhesive. A substantial portion of the natural nail end 53 must be covered by the tip to ensure adequate adhesion. As a result, the natural nail bed is reduced. Thus, French tip art and technology is seriously flawed because of the inability to permit display of the maximum nail bed.
Furthermore, for cosmetic appearance, the tip must be shaped by a nail file 54 to eliminate the "step" 55 caused by the thickness of the artificial tip. As shown in FIG. 1c, filing current state-of-the art French tips causes distortion of the sharp "smile line" thus eliminating the desired cosmetic enhancement created by applying a French tip.
Fingernail manufacturers have provided a variety of combinations of materials, arrangements, and colors in fingernail accessories but no one has been able to eliminate the above described shortcomings. Indeed, patents have been issued covering the different combinations.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,813 to Carroll discloses a full cover artificial fingernail molded with an inlay on its top surface. The overall product is colored to simulate the style of a French fingernail, having lighter colored cuticle and tip end portions and a darker colored central portion (which is usually provided by the inlay). The base and inlay portion are mechanically bound to each other by use of mechanical locks at either end of the inlay and undercut areas at the edges of the inlay which wrap around opposite sides of the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,935 to Mast, et al. discloses an artificial fingernail or tip of polymer plastic containing a light defusing means located only within the front distal portion, the light defusing means being a plurality of minute depressions within and throughout at least the upper surface of the polymer strip. This provides a textured roughened surface to obtain a natural appearing contrast between the front or distal portion and the proximal (or cuticle) portion of a nail.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,310 to Jadow an artificial fingernail tip is disclosed which includes a plastic member which is adhered about 1/16 to 1/8 inch from the tip of the outwardly extending edge of the natural nail. Granular material such as glass beads is then adhesively bonded to the upper face of the member to form a textured surface. The textured surface of the tip thus contrasts with the color of the natural nail.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,610 to Orsini discloses a method of making a set of artificial fingernails wherein a single scene extends across a set of ten artificial fingernails. The image is photographically imprinted on a semi-rigid layer of film and a layer of transparent plastic film is laminated over the layer of photographic film. The individual artificial nails are punched out of the layer of photographic film, and each is contoured by means of a heat press so that each nail has a compound curve wherein a proximal portion has a general cylindrical curvature while a distal portion has a generally spherical curvature.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,991 to Shebahachi, et al. a thermochromic artificial nail is disclosed which includes a thermochromic material changeable in visible external color in response to a change in temperature. The thermochromic material has a thickness of at least one .mu.m.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,746,460 to Jellinak discloses a fingernail cover having a thin elastic patch preformed in a shape similar to but longer than a human nail. The patch has an opaque reflecting layer having an adhesive surface, and a transparent color layer superposed on the opposing surface of the opaque layer. A third transparent layer can be on the second layer in order to protect it.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,633,139 to Pettey discloses a fingernail cover which includes a thin transparent film undercoated with a colored solvent solution of the same material.
Each of the references set forth above include different structures and combinations to provide ornamental fingernail accessories in the way of coverings. However, each of the references either discloses a rather complicated configuration or is somewhat lacking in the ability to provide a fingernail ornamentation which is cosmetically appealing and easy to apply. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention, among other objects, to provide a versatile technology for producing attractive ornamental fingernail accessories, particularly French tip fingernail accessories, in a commercially efficient manner.